Mamma Mia!
by CCNilesBabcock
Summary: Co-Written w/ CrownedLioness – Mamma Mia!AU C.C., an independent hotelier, is preparing for her daughter's wedding. Meanwhile, 20 yr old bride-to-be Amelia Babcock has a plan: she has secretly invited three men from her mother's past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day: Niles Brightmore, Collin Vince and Patrick McLaughlin.
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

"I have a dream, a song to sing..."

The reception was spotless. The guestbook was fresh and crisp, ready and waiting for a pen to mark the first names and dates in.

"To help me cope with anything..."

She was ready. She was sure she could do this. She'd never done anything quite so spontaneous in her life, but this didn't feel like a mistake. This felt right.

"If you see the wonder of a fairytale...you can take the future, even if you fail..."

She wasn't going to fail. She wouldn't let it fail - her new hotel was in a prime location, and it was bound to attract a large number of guests. Napa Valley always did (the wine tourists, or "vineyard enthusiasts", as she'd been training herself to tactfully say). And all of them had a lot of money - as much as her parents did, and sometimes even more.

And she needed them to want to come.

All for the sake of the little four-month old girl nestled in her arms as she wandered, making her final checks.

She nuzzled the baby gently as she continued to softly sing her lullaby.

"I believe in angels...something good in everything I see..."

Her little Amelia was something good. About the best thing that had happened to her, if she really thought about it.

Even if she had come...more than _unexpectedly_.

Barely thirteen months ago, she'd been working as Maxwell Sheffield's assistant, helping him run his Broadway empire from the green loveseat in his office. She'd been in the position for a little over a year at the time, and she'd loved it.

Scratch that, she'd adored it.

Thoughts of successful musicals and being a big and mighty producer alongside the English-born Sheffield had plagued her daydreams. She'd come up with so many good ideas to help their company soar...

And then he'd come along.

Niles Brightmore.

The man she refused to even think about.

When she did, it made her blood boil over. He'd been the one to start everything off – the reason she'd left in the first place.

They'd...not entirely gotten along, when they'd first met. He'd been the Sheffield family's butler, and the two just had this instant mutual need to insult one another from the start.

It got so bad, Mr Sheffield hadn't wanted them in the same room at the same time anymore.

But Mrs Sheffield had insisted that they try to get along, and had sent them out to dinner together so that things might improve. She'd assured them it was only a date if they made it one, but C.C. had seen her drop a sly wink at her husband straight afterwards!

Not that it had mattered. It had turned into a date anyway.

They'd talked, and found that they had more in common than they'd thought. They'd laughed, drank, and danced into the night...

And then...well, it was inevitable where everything would end up.

She'd woken up in his bed the next morning, with his arms around her and his lips peppering kisses on her shoulder and neck (jokingly asking for another round). And it had been perfect. She'd thought it couldn't be taken away.

But she'd been wrong. His phone had rung, and it had all fallen apart when a woman's voice came from the other end of the line.

He'd turned awkward when she'd asked who it was, and his answer had sealed her never wanting to see him again.

Her name was Kathleen. She lived in the UK. And she was his long-distance girlfriend.

She hadn't listened to any of his stupid excuses. She hadn't wanted to. She hadn't been able to bear hearing his reasons for taking her heart and stomping on it.

She'd left immediately after, posting her resignation letter as soon as she'd gotten home. Maxwell had called her tirelessly, leaving so many messages that he'd filled up her answering machine's voice mailbox. He'd demanded... no, needed... no... begged... pleaded... deserved and explanation.

But C.C. hadn't given any.

She'd simply packed up her bags and bought a first class ticket to Greece.

She had a trust fund with more money she needed and a broken heart that required mending, so what better than a trip to paradise to do just that?

Of course, her having her own rotten luck, had met this charming banker wannabe at the airport. Collin Vince, recent MBA in international business graduate from Harvard.

He'd literally bumped into her when they'd both walked into the check-in counter, sending her straight to the floor alongside her purse and carryon.

He'd apologised profusely, visibly flustered and more than a little red in the face, and had helped her up. She waved it off as unimportant, and somehow a small commonplaces apology had ended up in them spending the hours until their flight chatting.

They'd eventually asked to be seated together.

Suffice to say, she and Collin had gotten to know the plane's cramped bathroom quite well, thus joining the infamous Mile High Club.

They'd gone straight to his hotel when they'd landed. They'd joked about seeing what it would be like without turbulence.

But when he was finally asleep, she'd gotten up, dressed, written him a note and left. She'd had to do it – she wouldn't have been able to say it to his face. All the time they'd been together, it hadn't felt...right. She knew she was doing it for the wrong reasons - to forget about Niles, to force herself to bury her feelings and move on by seeing other men, to get...well, to think that she'd gotten revenge.

It hadn't worked. How could it? Niles hadn't known where she was – she hadn't wanted – still didn't want – him to know where she was! The whole time she'd spent with Collin had been about making herself feel better in a "two could play at that game" kind of fashion, but who'd won from it?

Niles wasn't aware. He probably wouldn't even care if he was. That sort didn't - they used their charm to have women how they wanted, and no one else's feelings mattered apart from their own. They were vain and self-obsessed, and falling for them was a mistake.

She she'd been trying so hard to rectify her mistake, and bury the fact that she'd even made it in the first place…

So why she'd done what she did next, she didn't know.

The last of the mistakes had happened when she'd missed the ferry out to the Greek Island of Kalokairi. She hadn't been the only one, but she had been the only one to kick up such a fuss about it that she'd drawn attention to herself.

And that attention had come from Patrick McLaughlin, a Scottish man who claimed to be travelling to see as much of the world as he could. He said he loved adventure, and that he'd be happy to take her to the island on his boat.

He'd been charming, and clearly liked to laugh. The lines in his rugged face showed it. He had some wit, and enjoyed showing it off for anyone who was willing to listen.

He'd also had a far-too familiar pair of blue eyes, complete with sand-blonde hair.

Why she'd even agreed to go near him, she didn't know.

She'd stuck around him for about three days. What could she say? The guy had been good.

Not as good as some, but still.

Eventually she'd snapped out of it. She'd realised she wasn't getting away from the...problem she'd gone away to avoid. She had just been saddling herself with an almost complete carbon copy.

She'd had to go. She'd gone practically the same way she'd left Collin; leaving a note and explaining a few things.

There were a few other things she'd left out, of course. But still, the principle was the same.

It was a little while after that, that she'd found out she was pregnant. Far too late to work out which man was the father.

Not that she wanted to contact them about it in the first place.

Mia was all hers. And she'd be better off that way, with a strong mother who'd built a business and given her a loving home.

She didn't need two potential fathers who were just awkward mistakes to her mother. And she definitely didn't need a father who was the biggest, most hurtful mistake of them all.

Her mother had disowned her upon learning about her pregnancy and the uncertain parenthood of her child. She'd called her a disgrace to the Babcock name and said she wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

Her father had been less caustic in his disappointment, but nevertheless he'd shaken his head at her and asked her what she'd been thinking.

She hadn't had a good answer to give.

Stewart had told her he wouldn't be giving her any more money than she'd already had in her trust fund just because she'd fallen pregnant. He'd said she had to make a living for herself, using all the tools given to her by years of the finest education money could buy. Should she fail, he'd said, she would be allowed back home, no questions asked, but she had to try and succeed first.

And that's exactly what C.C. intended on doing.

She may be a young single mother, but she was by no means a wimp nor would she allow contrarieties to let the air out of her tires – she simply couldn't sit around and have a pity party when she had a child to look after.

So she'd gotten down to work: she'd bought a ten thousand acres terrain in Napa Valley, hired an architect and entrusted him with the creation of a luxury boutique hotel.

She'd overseen the design and subsequent construction of her hotel throughout her pregnancy, and it had been ready only one week after Amelia's birth.

It looked magnificent, even if she did say so herself. Everything was brand-new, and she could already imagine guests pouring in through the doors, excited to spend their time in a place C.C. had spent so much time, effort and money on.

If someone looked close enough, they might've seen the blood, sweat and tears that she'd put into each and every inch of the place!

All to make sure she didn't let her father down. He'd never said he wasn't proud of her, when she'd confessed that she was pregnant. But his silence when it had happened had been enough. She knew he couldn't be completely proud - she wouldn't be taking the path he'd probably had planned for her.

She had to forge her own path, and get her father to accept it when she succeeded.

And she was going to succeed. Her little girl was depending on her.

"I believe in angels...when I know the time is right for me..."

She'd make it. They both would.

"I'll cross the stream...I have a dream..."

* * *

 **AN: Hello there! Both TheCrownedLioness and I recently saw "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" and subsequently bawled our eyes out and thought we just _had_ to write a Mamma Mia! AU for our fav couple. We sincerely hope you like it and we'll soon be uploading new chapters to "The Parent Trap" and "Once Upon a December". We'd looooove to get your reviews! H&L**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 1**_

Niles took another anxious glance at his watch as the cab carrying him pulled up at the bus station. He was going to be cutting it fine, but he thought he could make the next bus still. He wasn't going to wait around for the next one, if there even was one! A little town like this in the middle of nowhere, there might not be another one for hours!

And he wasn't willing to risk waiting hours. Not when he held in his hands the most important thing he'd had for about twenty one years.

A wedding invitation. But not just any wedding invitation – one that had been addressed to him, from the woman he still thought about daily.

C.C. Babcock.

He'd done a double-take when he'd read the thing. It didn't seem possible – not when she'd said that she'd never wanted to see him again...

The entire story was a heaviness he'd carried ever since. But getting the invitation felt like hope – hope to lift the weight, and replace it with something lighter.

Something better. Something that could involve the two of them, with nothing but peace and happiness in their hearts...

And for all of that to happen, he had to make the bus!

He had decided against renting a car since his sense of direction was lacking at best, but now he couldn't help but wonder if that had actually been a bad choice to make. His flight had been delayed, leaving JFK airport nearly two hours late, which had left him with little time to get to the bus terminal.

He'd been mildly surprised by the fact Miss Babcock now owned a successful boutique hotel in Napa Valley. He remembered her as a finance-oriented rather than a hotelier kind of businesswoman, but clearly she'd been dexterous in both businesses.

Her hotel was one of the best rated in the area, and to ger a reservation you had to call at least six months before your intended stay. It was no wonder the least expensive room cost around three hundred dollars a night.

She was hugely successful, as she had always been destined to be.

Miss Babcock had had the shrewd business acumen to foresee a profitable opportunity in luxury apart hotels for wine tourists and, as the article about her in Forbes magazine had said, she was nowadays one of the richest hoteliers in the United States, having used part of her profit to invest in the stock market.

And she wanted him, a butler-turned-chef who now owned a restaurant (a good and successful one, but nowhere near her calibre), to see her. To come to a wedding for someone he'd never met, all because she knew him.

He didn't even care that he didn't know the bride or the groom. As long as he could see C.C., that was all that mattered.

That was why he scrambled so hard to get out the back of the cab. He could see the bus in the station, and there was no one around – it would be leaving any second!

He barely remembered to give the cab driver money for getting him that far. He tossed a handful of notes through the window, yelling that the man could keep his change, and he "hauled ass", as the Americans would say.

His luggage was dragging him down, but he ignored it and kept going. He had other obstacles to make sure he missed – the high sidewalks, the fire hydrant...

The other man clearly running for the same bus, clutching his suitcase and yelling.

"Hey! Stop the bus!"

Niles tried. He began waving as well, and shouting just as loud.

"Wait! Please, wait!"

He sprinted towards the vehicle, just like the other man did. But the bus paid them no heed, and drove away as they came close.

Both men skidded to a halt right where it would have been, had the driver either not been a stickler for time or had he not felt like being less than a decent human being that day.

It left them both there, gasping for breath.

"Damn," the mystery suitcase-holding man gasped.

Niles echoed his sentiment as he doubled over, "Bugger..."

He eventually managed to right himself again, with only minimal brightly coloured spots dancing in front of his eyes. It was about the only positive he could take from the situation at hand.

He didn't have time for this! Every second not spent on that bus, he wasn't making his way to see C.C.!

"Do...do you know when...the next bus will be?" he asked the suitcase-carrying man. He looked like he might know about the place, and would therefore be a good source of information.

The other man took in one final deep breath, and shook his head.

"Afraid not. Sorry," he said, checking his own watch. "I can't believe I missed it – I'm supposed to be attending a wedding in a few days!"

Niles' eyebrows shot up.

"What a coincidence," the former butler panted, dragging his suitcase towards a rather rustic lean to, "So am I!"

"Bride or groom?" asked the man, following suit and taking refuge from the scorching Californian sun underneath the lean to.

"Bride," replied Niles, "Although I've never met her."

"Ditto. And I doubt we will be knowing her anytime soon," said the man, pointing towards a small sign nailed to the side of the lean to, upon which the bus schedule was displayed. "The next bus leaves in three days."

Niles groaned, burying his face in his hands. Three days?! The wedding was in two days! He wouldn't make it in time!

He'd be failing C.C. all over again...

"Oy, mates!"

The yell startled them both out of the troubled thoughts they'd found themselves in, and turned their attention towards a rather large 4x4 that was making its way slowly up the road. The driver had his window open, and was half leaning out of it.

Niles and the main exchanged a look, before Niles pointed between the two of them.

"Are you...talking to us?"

"Did ye say that ye were goin' to a weddin'?" the car driver asked.

Niles nodded, "We did say that, yes..."

"Then I was talkin' tae ye, ye great daft prawn," the driver said, an amused grin all over his face. He then pressed a button on the dashboard, and everyone present heard the sound of the car boot opening. "Hop in, I'm invited tae the weddin', too."

Niles and his new unnamed friend looked at each other.

Well, they couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, now could they?

Both men quickly gathered their possessions and hauled them into the boot before climbing into the truck themselves, Niles taking the passenger seat and the other man choosing to go in the back.

They were on their way soon enough.

"Whit were ye twa fannybaws daein doon there?" asked the Scotsman, stepping on the gas and overtaking a black SUV.

"We lost our bus," said Niles. "My flight from New York was delayed and I didn't make it in time."

"Ach, bloody American airports!" grunted the Scotsman, "Terrible, if ye ask me."

"Have you had bad experiences before?" asked Niles.

"Many an unfortunate time, ma man. Many a time. Ah try an' avoid it, wherever possible," the driver replied. He then glanced over at Niles, and then at the other man in his interior mirror. "Name's Patrick, by the way."

"I'm Collin," piped up the man in the back, bringing a hand forward to shake Niles'.

The former butler greeted it amicably, grasping his hand in return, "I'm Niles, pleased to meet you..."

That was when he saw properly what was going on.

He knew this man. Well, maybe not personally, but he had seen him before.

This was Collin Vince! He was a celebrated Harvard graduate, businessman and entrepreneur. He had big plans for big cities, and he had enough money to do it. He must have either seen him on television or in a magazine article about him – he was the golden child of business all over the world, there was more than one thing to write about.

"Collin...Vince?" he asked hesitantly, making sure it was alright.

Collin smiled, "Yeah, that's me. You a fan of big business, Niles?"

Niles moved his head from side to side, "I'd say it's more of an appreciation. I own a restaurant back in New York, so I have to know some things. My clientele often fill me in on others."

Collin looked interested, "Really? What's your place called?"

"It's called The Golden Bird."

It had been something of a bittersweet name when he'd thought of it. "Babcock" being old English for "bird", and "golden" being self-evident...

But he wasn't going to talk about that with Collin or Patrick.

In fact, the former's face had just lit up.

"Hey! I love that place!" he cried out. "I go there all the time for business lunches!"

Niles let a smile appear on his face, "Really?"

"Absolutely! You guys make a filet mignon that's just to die for!"

Niles thanked him for the compliment, while Patrick made a noise of interest.

"Ye sell fine liquors at yer place, Niles?"

Niles grinned in return, "We certainly do!"

Patrick smirked thoughtfully, "Hm...maybe Ah'll just have tae swing by New York an' pop in fer a spell. Ever had yer place featured in a travel book?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Niles saw Collin's jaw drop.

"Wait a minute...! I thought I recognised that face off a dust cover!" he exclaimed. "You're Patrick McLaughlin! You write all those travel and adventure guides! You're like the most famous adventurer in the world!"

Patrick made no attempt to be modest, but he did it in a joking way, "And don't none of ye forget it."

Well, Niles wouldn't forget it now. He had never particularly been one for travel guides or adventurers, but the name had rung a bell. And now that he knew the man himself, it was going to be nigh-on impossible to not remember!

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Collin grinned. "In fact, I'd actually really enjoy it if we could discuss your work?"

Patrick thought about it, "Hm...perhaps. If our mutual friend doesn't mind listenin' to us prattlin' on?"

Niles shook his head, "It's quite alright. You two carry on – I'm more curious about our destination, than anything else."

He was mostly curious about when they'd get there, but he had to be patient. C.C. would be there, soon enough – she'd be in front of him and they could start trying to make things better.

"I am certainly looking forward to getting unpacked," Collin commented. "And meeting with our host..."

"Aye, so am I," nodded Patrick, a sly smile beginning to form on his rugged and sun kissed face. "I have tae see what the lassie's been up to."

Both Collin and Niles' had to do a double take – this man knew C.C. Babcock?! And he clearly knew her well, judging by the look on his face. He looked like a cat who'd gotten the cream and was about to get some more...

"Are you... uh... acquainted with C.C. Babcock?" queried Collin, clearing his throat to (lamely) cloak his interest.

"Acquainted?!" Patrick burst into a fit of booming laughter. Neither Collin nor Niles saw the funny side about it.

"Aye, ah am," replied the Scotsman, his grin only growing and eyes glinting, "Anno her very well..."

Something about the way he was saying that didn't sit well with Niles. It was almost as if–

"She wis me burd," he said, "Ah took her fur a ride on me boat!"

Niles felt the bottom of his stomach drop out.

This man...had been in a _relationship_ with C.C.? This clearly charming, charismatic man, who travelled and wrote for a living, and owned his own boat?

Of course he'd been in a relationship with C.C.. With all of those traits about him, he'd probably been with hundreds of women, and had even more lining up around the block! But by the look on his face, Niles sensed that there was only one he wanted to make a return visit to. And the very thought ate him up inside.

Why had C.C. written an invitation to him, if she was going to invite this man Patrick as well? Niles was clearly no competition for a lauded travel writer-slash-adventurer. Why had she wanted to see them both, when she could have just invited the superior?

Maybe one of these days, Patrick would take her for another ride on his boat, and then Niles would have to read about it in some travel guide...

What Collin had to say next didn't comfort him at all, but it did make the bitterness seep in a little deeper.

"Oh, you were? I only really knew her briefly; a day or so, at best. But, I do believe I got to know her quite well as well..."

Patrick's hearty laugh wasn't lost, but it did diminish a little – Niles could certainly understand why. Not that it made him like the man, but they shared the bitterness of having to fight for her affections.

"And what about you, Niles?" asked Collin, "What's your relationship with C.C.?"

Part of Niles wanted to say that he'd been C.C.'s partner. That they'd known each other for over a year and that they had dated...

But he knew that was a far cry from reality.

He had been with her alright, but he'd dropped her fragile heart. He'd failed her. He had no right to call himself her partner or former partner. He'd been certain he'd never hear from her again, and he should consider himself lucky to be going to this wedding. He wasn't going to pretend to be something he wasn't to one up these two men, even if he'd like nothing more than to keep them away from Miss Babcock.

In that way, perhaps, he'd have a shot at winning her back.

"We used to work together," he said lamely.

He knew it wasn't enough, even if he did elaborate.

He wasn't intending to. He had no way of making himself seem any less than he was – a boring former butler, who had let her down greater than any words could say.

He didn't deserve her. These men did, even if he didn't like to say so. They were rock and roll's greatest hits being compared to a nursery rhyme. They were vast oceans compared to a single drop of rain. They were hot and fragrant spices, compared to plain vanilla.

He had nothing to offer, and they had everything. There wasn't anything he could do about it, either. He'd have demanded to be let out of the car and he'd have walked back to town to never return, if part of him hadn't still been crying out to see her.

"Oh," Patrick suddenly looked less amused. He even thought Niles' answer was boring, clearly. "So ye were colleagues?"

Niles nearly choked out his answer, his chest felt so tight, "Of a sort..."

How did he explain to these two that here, "Of a sort" meant he served her tea and meals whenever he was asked, threw zingers at her whenever he wasn't asked, and was just generally beneath her?

He suspected they'd know something about being beneath her, too. But he wasn't about to come out and say that. He didn't even like thinking about it! Besides, as much as he was burning up inside with jealousy and the knowledge that someone like him could never compete with excitement, he didn't hate them.

He felt Collin get his attention by giving him a tap on the upper arm.

"So, you knew her for a lot longer than we did! What's she like in an office environment?"

He might not have hated the men, but it was difficult not to dislike the questions one got when they were perceived as boring. Nothing about relationships – just how people were when they worked.

"She was... efficient," he eventually said, "quite hardworking, to the point where she can be a bit of a workaholic..."

Niles remembered all the times she'd stay until late, just going over contracts or scripts. He would bring her dinner under the pretext of not wanting to waste perfectly good scraps, and he would always drive her home, to make sure she got there safely...

He'd hidden his love for her behind a façade of pretended hate, and when he'd finally had the guts to open up about his feelings, everything had crumbled down. And it was his own undoing.

He should have ended everything with Kathleen before dating C.C. – he was going to, as a matter of fact, but he'd wanted to talk to her in person rather than ditch her via phone call.

His mistake, of course, had been taking the easy way out.

He hadn't imagined Kathleen would call the very morning after they'd...

He tried to shut it out, but it didn't quite work. The images might have been a bit less in focus, but they still played out like some kind of nightmare. Everything that had happened that day had been a waking nightmare. And he was still living it, because he could never stop loving her.

"Sounds a bit more uptight than the lass I remember," Patrick commented.

"Yeah, she certainly was a lot more fun when I knew her," Collin joined in.

Niles cringed, but held it in so it didn't show on his face or in his tone. He didn't want to hear about the fun she'd had with other men. Especially not if she intended to keep one of them around her, for the "long haul" as some called it.

Niles doubted he'd be invited to that wedding...

He didn't comment on either Collin or Patrick's asseverations. He didn't think he'd be able to keep himself from falling apart at the seams if he began talking about the times he'd shared with C.C.. Those two men surely had had an even better time with her. And made her a lot happier, too.

As both Patrick and Collin continued to reminisce about the olden day, he couldn't help but wonder if coming to this wedding had been the right choice…

Not that he could go back now – they were in the middle of nowhere as it was, and although he was dreading the moment where C.C. would ditch him for some of the two hunks travelling with him, he wasn't willing to walk all the way back to the town in the Californian heat. The most reasonable option he had was taking the bus back to the airport as soon as possible, stopping only to thank Miss Babcock for the invitation and to congratulate the marrying couple. Then, taking care not to make fuss or bring attention to himself, he'd make himself scarce.

He had to console himself with the thought that he'd at least get to see her one more time. He'd be able to, perhaps, apologise for his actions. He doubted it would make any difference for her, but he had to try. What did he have to lose, after all?

A sudden low whistle coming from Patrick eventually brought Niles out of his musings, and it was soon accompanied by an awed "oh wow" from Collin.

Ahead of them, on the hill just beyond the nearest vineyards, was a magnificent building surrounded by villas. Each was built in the Spanish style, and looked as clean and luxurious as could possibly be.

And instantly, Niles knew that that was the place. That was the hotel they'd been invited to.

The place was incredible! It looked the sort of place that movie stars or famous musicians would use as a retreat! Miss Babcock had truly outdone herself, if she'd made the place as it currently was!

But of course, he shouldn't have expected her to run anything less than the best hotel in the area – possibly one of the best in the country, or even the world! She was simply sublime at running businesses, and running a hotel meant she had constant work to do...

She provided loved it.

"Gentlemen," Patrick addressed them in a feigned formal style. "I believe that we have arrived."


End file.
